July 20, 2009

To the Moon!

It was 6:30am when my father came into the bedroom and woke up my two brothers and me. I remember being sleepy and wondered what was going on. He took us into the living room and sat us in front of the black and white television set and told us to watch. It was July 16, 1969, and a few minutes later I sat and watched the Saturn V rocket carrying Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins, and Buzz Aldrin blast off the launch pad and head towards the moon.

Although I thought it was neat to watch the space ship take off, I didn’t really understand the significance of what I was watching. My father did. He knew that history was being made and he wanted his kids to be able to say they witnessed it.

Four days later we all gathered around the television once again and watched as Armstrong set foot on the moon.

Today is the anniversary of that July day when mankind first set foot on another planet. It was a monumental achievement, and showed what we can do if we really set our minds to it. I will never forget that day, just like people remember where they were on Sept 11th.

Fortunately this isn’t a memory I ever want to forget.

The crew members of Apollo 11 are still alive, and they get together every five years to celebrate their trip. They are truly amazing people.

“God, we sit on our little Earth and gaze into the heavens and wonder what it’s like out there. It amazes me that you already know. Thanks for the great view though.”